1999 Volkswagen Cabrio problems
Owners have filed 66 complaints with NHTSA about the 1999 Volkswagen Cabrio. Electrical system is the most reported problem area, at 23% of complaints. After that come engine (11%) and brakes (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 66 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 23% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 6 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 4 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 42,000 miles 41 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 7 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 12 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 11 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 0 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 3 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 7 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 41 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 42,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 42,000 miles (11 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 6 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 4 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1999 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 4 model years of the Volkswagen Cabrio with enough data (45 complaints in that window).
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 volkswagen cabrio convertible. The contact stated while driving at 50 MPH, the rear passengers wheel fractured from the vehicle. The vehicle spun out of control and crashed into an embankment. The contact sustained unknown injuries and was transported to the hospital via ambulance. A police report was filed at the scene and the vehicle was towed to a local repair shop where the vehicle was repaired.
Hello, I contacted you about 2 yrs ago without f/u due to recovery from injuries. Now I have my case on the docket to sue VW for faulty disc/hub assembly that separated due to corrosion. I have the parts and photos to submit. I injured my right ankle on july 9, 2009 when the wheel detached from my car without warning and after it had been recently inspected and cleaned by brake king. Similar to the jeep grand cherokee recall since I owned one and had the hub/disc assembly replaced by stainless steel assembly.
My car's electrical system started to fail two weeks ago. The directionals, interior lights, all exterior lights and heater did not work. I was told by a VW dealership in ma that the car alarm system malfunctioned and has caused the switching gear and other various electrical components in my car to malfunction. After informing that the cost to repair this problem would be around $1,000.00 I decided to look into these issues only to be surprised to find that my VW 1999 cabrio is notorious along with all of the…